THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
2,026) Dr. John — “The Patriotic Flag-Waiver”*
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (see #177) was a true American original, but here he borrowed the “Let It All Hang Out” riff and Dylan’s “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” rap and stirred them up into a bayou funk gumbo that “in keeping with the mood of the late ’60s . . . damns social ills and hypocrisy of all sorts. An FM underground radio favorite at the time, its ambitious structure remains admirable, though its musical imperfections haven’t worn well.” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/babylon-mw0000221012) What? I love its musical imperfections!
Derek writes of Dr. John’s second album, Babylon, from which PFW is drawn:
Babylon was released on January the ’17th’ 1969 was a powerful, cerebral and innovative genre-melting album which socially had much in common with Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris. However, critics didn’t ‘get’ Babylon and the album which failed commercially. However, just like Gris Gris, Babylon was later reappraised by critics and nowadays is regarded as one of his finest albums and a minor classic.
https://dereksmusicblog.com/2019/03/26/dr-john-the-atco-years-1968-1974/
Tcarterw25 gets down to the LP’s essence:
murky brown, orange and purple – this is an incredibly trippy record. it takes the weird drugginess of gris-gris and dials it to 11. . . . all these songs are in super weird time signatures which make you slightly uncomfy and all these weird murky instruments. gris gris felt like swamp music and this feels like you’re drowning in a swamp. it’s so so so weird but i also really really like it.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dr-john/babylon/reviews/1/
Talia Boettinger adds:
Standing out as one of Dr. John’s most overtly political albums, Babylon rings just as true as it did when it was first released in 1969, and it hasn’t lost any of its voodoo magic either. Originally cut in late ‘68, the album was influenced by dark themes such as the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the Tet offensive, and the Vietnam War. While the lyrics can be clumsy at times, there are moments that shine through with a weight it still holds to this day, as on the album’s title track “No politicians/No higher religions/To guide you from the dark.” While the lyrics can be heavy, the music is weightless and the brand of Weird that Dr. John specialized in. Loaded with electronic effects and unthinkable, otherworldly rhythms, the remastering further draws out and amplifies Dr. John’s legendary New Orleans sound of voodoo-funk with the occasional jazz influence; a smoky and sexy groove with the sharp edge of something sinister. A darkness in the almost trance-like chant of Dr. John’s delivery. What falls a bit short is the music itself. There are times where it fades a bit too much into the background, gives up a bit too much of its power to the lyrics. As a result, some of the mysticism is lost and it’s difficult to establish a connection from one song to the next. Even so, Babylon still carries enough magic to make goose bumps crawl across your skin when the rhythm slows on a song like “Twilight Zone” and the lyrics “In the outer limits of a land unknown/In the twilight zone,” mumbled like a spell.
https://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2024/03/dr-john-babylon-1969-us-extraordinary.html?m=1
* Yes, that is how it’s spelled!
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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The playlist includes all the “greatest songs of the 1960’s that no one has ever heard” that are available on Spotify — now over 1,500 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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